An American merchant sea captain, John Dominis (1796–1846) came to America in 1819 from Trieste, probably from a Croatian family.

In 1846 he sailed for China on the Brig William Neilson, intending to purchase Chinese-made furniture for the house, which was nearing completion.

The ship was lost at sea, along with the American Agent George Brown, and Mary Dominis became a widow.

[5] In 1917, Liliuokalani raised the American flag at Washington Place in honor of five Hawaiian sailors who had perished in the sinking of the SS Aztec by German submarines.

Washington Place conforms to period French Creole Greek Revival houses that were built along the lower Gulf-Coastal region of the southeastern United States.

The home was constructed with an almost square core surrounded by a peristyle, a two tiered verandah, Tuscan columns on its upper floor, and a hipped roof.

Lee was instrumental in integrating a Western legal system in the Hawaiian Islands, based upon the Massachusetts model.

Lee also authored the Great Mahele, which introduced private land ownership into Hawaiian culture.

The home offers the citizens of Hawaiʻi a strong sense of place and belonging in association with the kingdom and of Queen Liliʻuokalani's memory.

[11] In 2002 a new governor's residence was built behind the historic Washington Place, within its grounds, and continues to serve the same purpose.